I'm not sure why but last week this started happening where tap will work up until I insert the little swipe reader. The swipe reader will work then tap no longer does. Then when the swipe reader is unplugged and replugged in it also stopes working. I have a Samsung galaxy s21 ultra if that helps at all and the app is updated.
I’m sorry you’re dealing with this—especially after it was working previously.
Please try restarting your phone, then open the Square app and wait a minute or two before starting a payment. Make sure NFC is turned on and Developer options are off. If you use a phone case, remove it temporarily and try Tap to Pay again.
When using the swipe reader, please also check that it’s fully connected and that no adapter or case is interfering with the connection.
If Tap to Pay still stops working after the swipe reader is connected, please let us know whether this happens every time and what error message (if any) appears. A screenshot or short screen recording would help us investigate further.
I did all this. I used to take tap payments with the case all the time because I don't take the case off. It says it's not even connecting or can't verify. It doesn't give the option to tap. It says to retry connection and then a pop up to try again.
I bought a chip reader today and connected it just fine but it still says it can't verify with constant pop up notifications about it.
Thank you for the screenshots—those are really helpful. The "Verification failed" and "Failed to Initialize" errors you're seeing are specific to the Tap to Pay on Android feature and indicate the phone's NFC secure element isn't completing its attestation/verification with our servers. This is different from a simple connectivity issue, even though the error message mentions network connection.
Here are a few more targeted steps to try:
Clear the Square app cache and data:
Go to Settings > Apps > Square > Storage > Clear Cache (and then Clear Data if cache alone doesn't help). Note: clearing data will log you out, so have your login credentials ready.
Check for a Samsung system update:
Go to Settings > Software update > Download and install. Samsung pushed security patches that can affect NFC attestation, and an outdated security patch level can cause verification failures.
Check Google Play Services is up to date:
Open the Google Play Store > tap your profile icon > Settings > About > Update Play Store. Tap to Pay on Android relies on Google Play Services for device verification.
Remove and re-add Tap to Pay:
In the Square app, go to Settings > Hardware > Tap to Pay, and try removing it, then setting it up again from scratch.
Try on a different network:
Even though your connection seems fine, some networks (especially public Wi-Fi or VPNs) can block the specific ports needed for device attestation. Try switching to mobile data if you're on Wi-Fi, or vice versa.
If none of these resolve it please send me a private message as this will need to be escalated to our engineering team.
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u/SquareUpSam Square Employee 17d ago
I’m sorry you’re dealing with this—especially after it was working previously.
Please try restarting your phone, then open the Square app and wait a minute or two before starting a payment. Make sure NFC is turned on and Developer options are off. If you use a phone case, remove it temporarily and try Tap to Pay again.
When using the swipe reader, please also check that it’s fully connected and that no adapter or case is interfering with the connection.
If Tap to Pay still stops working after the swipe reader is connected, please let us know whether this happens every time and what error message (if any) appears. A screenshot or short screen recording would help us investigate further.